Missives from Samsara

I am very fortunate in that I get to go camping with some old friends every summer. We just got back from a lovely set of days at a place called Forlorn Lakes, in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest (near the Indian Heaven Wilderness). We go to a different place each year and like the concerts we also enjoy, the memories layer upon each other in a way that creates a delicious dessert of memories to savor.

Upon returning I reflected on what it is about such trips that enjoy the most. In no particular order:

1. Every year is different because we go to a new spot. I know many people understandably enjoy revisiting the same place each year, but I love that every year has a distinct flavor largely because we are enjoying a new patch of ground together. Related to this is talking about where we should go next and all the joy that anticipation brings, especially once we decide.

2. Food tastes better outside. It just does. When you are perhaps a bit cold, or a bit warm and dusty, or even just tuckered out from a long hike, food lands in my palette with a little more appreciation, and a little less having been taken for granted. It helps if one of your crew likes to cook and is good at it. Needless to say, the Forlorn Lakes Cafe was just as good as the Scott Lake Cafe we dined at last summer.

3. Technology makes car camping pretty ‘easy’ these days. Up until last year, we backpacked. That meant we had to be hip to how much we were lugging into the woods. Food was less abundant, but we also never brought along little Bose speakers for our late night card shenanigans. Now that we are camping, the speaker (and all the extra snacks) gets thrown in the bag. As does the lux stove and grill (see point #2 above). The end result is that I can park it lakeside and read ebooks on my iPad while listening to Jerry croon if I want to.

4. We play play cards every night and we really enjoy it. We keep score and theoretically the winner gets to pick next summer’s location. The game we play is definitely not the one you likely play. We usually play a round before dinner, then several after dinner until we are ready to hit the sack. Did I mention we have a lot of fun playing cards every night?

5. All day to read and stare across the water. I brought my iPad, which had my ebooks on it, and 4 other books, as well. Having reading options is important when I have all day and a killer view. Even if we were backpacking a few books would make it in the bag. Being able to take a beautiful hike in between reads is also a major win.

6. Being able to cool off in the lake if the weather permits. My buddies I think place this in higher regard than I do, however, I do usually get in a little bit. Our weather was only ‘get in the lake’ warm for our first two days this year, but knowing the opportunity is there is a great part of camping in a good spot.

7. Getting to do a deep hang with friends. There’s hanging out, then there’s hanging out. Multi-day camping trips are what I call a deep hang. There are only so many people we can do deep hangs with outside of our immediate family. I’m grateful I have friends that I can do this with and that we have the privilege to be able to do it. You can cover a lot of ground, and talk through a lot of stuff, when you are with close friends in the woods.

I am a fair weather runner, which means I really only get out between May and October. It’s a flaw, but it is also a fact. Being the longest day of the year, today was naturally a great day to get some slow jogging in. I have about 6 spots that I rotate through around town when I run, but my current favorite is running either in or along the east side of Tryon State Park in Soutwest Portland. TSP is an absolute jewel of a park, right on the edge of SW Portland as it gives way to Lake Oswego heading south from Lewis & Clark College. Today I skirted the eastern edge of the park and realized again (for about the 200th time!) how lucky I am that this forested eden is about 1 mile from my doorstep. I decided mid-run that I was going to give Tryon a shout out on the blog. If you’re in Portland, go take a hike there. Or go for a run if you’re a runner. I know Forest Park is a haven for runners, and it makes sense considering its size, but Tryon is even more beautiful in my opinion. And if you’re visiting Portland in the sunnier part of the year, it can be a wonderful two hour diversion from the usual hustle and bustle of urban tourism, in the middle (ish) of the metro area. So good.

Below is a picture from my run today and a favorite pick I took many years ago during a fall hike.

Like most people, there are some daily habits I struggle with. However, making a healthy smoothie every day is not one of them. I’ve been tracking this and it is safe to say I’ve had a smoothie most days for about the past 15 years.

Here is the usual ingredients of my daily concoction:

• 6 ounces of organic carrot turmeric juice
• 6 ounces of filtered water
• 1 organic banana
• 1 large handful of organic leafy greens
• Approximately 100 grams of organic wild frozen blueberries (Trader Joes, natch)
• Approximately 40 grams of organic frozen broccoli tops (also TJs)
• 1 packet of AG1 green powder
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of organic ground flax seed
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of organic hemp protein powder (Anthony’s Organics)
• 6 grams of creatine
• Either 1 tablespoon of organic peanut butter OR 1 raw organic garlic clove

I assume most people would think this tastes disgusting. I know my daughter does. I love it.

The exact ingredients have evolved over the years a bit, but this recipe has been locked in for at least 4 years at this point.

I almost always have it between 4:15 and 6:15 pm. Dinner is separate. I try to be done with any food by 7 every night and don’t break my fast the next day till roughly 11:30, depending on what day it is and when I can start my lunch at work.

Bottoms up!